Book Review: Mine. Yours.

Title: Mine. Yours.
Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrator: Qin Leng
Age: 4-7

Little Panda bursts into Big Panda’s cave, startling him. “Ours?” he asks, to which Big Panda grumbles “Mine.” To get rid of Little Panda, Big Panda hands him a kite, telling him “Yours.”

While flying the kite, Little Panda crashes into one animal after another, and they explain in no uncertain terms what belongs to them (“Mine”) and what to Little Panda (“Yours”) But after the animals are swept up by the kite and come crashing down in a big heap with their possessions mixed together, they finally learn a new word: “Ours”

This picture book contains a total of three different words, repeated throughout the story: mine, yours and ours. But these three words, combined with the stunning watercolour illustrations, create a powerful story about being kind to others and learning to share – important lessons for young children.

A note at the back lists the animals featured in the book and explains that they’re all native to Asia. Teachers reading Mine.Yours. in class could use this as an additional starting point for a discussion about some potentially unfamiliar animals such as pangolins and golden snub-nosed monkeys.

You can get hold of a copy of this book by clicking one of the links below!

Mine. Yours. was released on 2nd April 2019. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

IndieBound
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

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Book Review: Ojiichan’s Gift

Title: Ojiichan’s Gift
Author: Chieri Uegaki
Illustrator: Genevieve Simms
Age: 5-8

Every year Mayumi spends the summer in Japan with Ojiichan, her grandfather, who creates a unique garden for her and teaches her how to tend it. Mayumi loves weeding and clipping shrubs and especially raking the gravel to create pretty patterns around rocks.

Then one summer everything changes – Ojiichan is too old to live in his house and Mayumi has to deal with the knowledge that she’ll no longer be able to spend time with him in the beautiful garden.

However, by means of an empty bento box, a few special items from the garden and some imagination, Mayumi is able to create a touching tribute to remind both her and Ojiichan of their beloved garden.

This picture book almost had me in tears – the author draws the reader into Mayumi’s world and holds on tight to our heartstrings right through to the end. I keenly felt Mayumi’s sense of loss as well as her boundless love for her grandfather.

Ojiichan’s Gift also provides a fascinating introduction to Japanese culture, with the smattering of Japanese words adding additional authenticity and colour to the story.

The soft, gentle illustrations complement the text nicely.

I would recommend this book to children aged 5 and up, but I’m sure many younger children (and adults!) would enjoy it too.

You can get hold of a copy by clicking one of the links below!

Ojiichan’s Gift was released on 2nd April 2019. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

IndieBound
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

Book Review: Karate Kakapo

Title: Karate Kakapo
Author: Loredana Cunti
Illustrator: Stacy Curtis
Age: 4-7

Kakapo loves karate. Every day she visits the dojo to practise her blocks, kicks, strikes and stances.

Due to her hard work and determination she was able to pass her previous belt tests with ease. But now it’s time for her black belt test and she’s terrified: what if the senseis ask to see her flying kick? Will they remember that kakapos can’t fly??

This adorable picture book introduces children to both kakapo birds* and to the world of karate. It also expertly imparts an important message: if you make the most of what you have and work hard, you can achieve what may previously have seemed impossible.

The colourful illustrations are cute and cheerful, really helping to bring the story to life.

This is a fantastic book for reading aloud to young children. You can get hold of a copy by clicking one of the links below!

Karate Kakapo was released on 2nd April 2019. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

IndieBound
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

*Please tell me I’m not the only adult to  have never heard of kakapos?! Check out what they look like in real life here! So cute :-D.

Book Review: Wish

Title: Wish
Author & Illustrator: Chris Saunders
Age: 4-7

At the magical time of year when wishes take flight, Rabbit has the good fortune to catch not one, not two, but three wishes. Never having caught a wish before, he asks his friends for advice on what to wish for.

Mouse would wish to fly, Fox would wish for the power to inspire others by writing stories and Bear’s wish would be to own a boat. Rabbit helps all of them and learns that a good deed can be better than any wish.

If for no other reason, you must check out the absolutely stunning illustrations in this picture book! They perfectly capture the sense of wonder and beauty that the author, Chris Saunders, attempts to convey in the story.

While the rhyme and meter are somewhat clunky and forced at times, this is a cute story about friendship and generosity that will appeal to kids and grown-ups alike.

And did I mention I adore the illustrations??

You can get hold of a copy by clicking one of the links below!

Wish was released on 12th March 2019. Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

IndieBound
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

Get Ready for NaPiBoWriWee – National Picture Book Writing Week!

You know how you’re planning to travel so you decide to be really organised and schedule several blog posts weeks in advance?

Well that was what I planned to do before flying off to England, followed by Singapore to visit my sister and Malaysia tomorrow for hubby’s 40th birthday… and did I actually schedule any of those blog posts? Um… no. I’m not THAT organised.

However, I do keep a list of blog post topics for the coming weeks (in some cases even months), and it’s been clear for a long time that today’s topic would be NaPiBoWriWee a.k.a. “National Picture Book Writing Week!

I’ve never done it before, but I’m looking forward to taking the challenge for the first time this year!

Hosted by kidlit author Paula Yoo, NaPiBoWriWee takes place the first week in May, and involves attempting to write 7 picture books in 7 days!

You can find more information on the NaPiBoWriWee website.

And finally, to prove I really am in Singapore right now, here are some Singlish phrases for you from a coffee shop wall:

 

Cover photo courtesy of: https://napibowriwee.com